The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-01-15

to our own constituencies, and to that OF
others, we ought to deal cautiously
with matters that pertain particularly
to the inner being. Each soul has its
secret chamber, the walls of which bear
traces of experience, known and read
by only those who wrote them. The
most sacred is always secluded, not
hidden away as a criminal would hide,
but sealed from the gaze of the world,
because it belongs to the life of the
spiritual and has little to do with the
world.
The soul speaks through the phys
ical and makes its record (good or ILL
upon the countenance, shines in the eye,
and to a certain extent shapes the body
and controls the posture. If the inner
life is noble and true, or if it is vile and
selfish, the physical will reveal it. Yet
beneath all, hidden from sight beyond
the power of revealing, are many secret
longings, hopes, doubts, fears, tempta
should enter with caution and rever-
ence (if at ally, and never save with an
earnest desire to aid. l must remem-
Der that your inner temple is sacred as
the home Of your soul; and if l knock
at its door, it should be, not to sit in
judgment, not to criticise its apart
ments or garniture, but because 1 feel
that L have needs like your own, that
my spiritual fireside is not as we'll kept
as might be, and an interchange of
thought may aid us both on toward the
final home of the soul.
In this feeling L come to you this
morning, with my chosen theme, 1.-THE
Philosophy and Test of Prayer" The
communion of the soul with God
deem one of, if not the most sacred, of
ali relations in life. The sincere prayer,
however crude, meagre or meaningless
it may appear to the listener, should
never be criticised, for when it is framed
for human ears alone, it loses it's mean
ing and power, but if designed for the Gear
of the Father the form has little value.
Prayer is divine blessing, and like
many others of the same nature is
often poorly appreciated, little under
stood and fearfully burlesqued. The
power to love is one of Gods greatest
gifts to man, and the one which, per-
haps, above all others. has been prosti-
tuted and made to result in untold sor-
row to the race. Hate is only love bur-
lesqued, and out of it grows unmen-
tionable and innumerable crimes. And
so prayer, which is the privilege of
the soul to live in communion and love
with God, is too often only impiety in
religious masquerade, and, in its dis
guise, doing irreparable injury. True
prayer and religious cant are as differ
ent in nature and effect as love and ha-
tired; the one divine, the other deyilish.
We call this Christian country, and
rejoice that we have the gospel preached
to us. Yet fear that we are to-day as
a people, more under the influence of
cant than of true piety. The name and
form of religion exert greater infu-
ence than religion itself. The church,
with it's commercial and social power, is
a far more mighty factor in human life
than the pure and undefiled principles
of Christ. The true coin is not less
valuable because there are counterfeits.
Pure religion is not less desirable be-
cause there are caricatures of it, and
true prayer is not any less privilege
and blessing because bypocrites coun-
terfeit, burlesque, and make it cloak
for sin. / do not hesitate to say that
in my opinion, lack of faith in prayer
is one of the greatest calamities posi-
BILE to the spiritual nature. Like in
effect, only not as serious is lack of
faith in humanity.
A cynic is the least of all mortaIs to
be envied. In his nature is no trust;
he adjudges every man to be mean, sees
only selfshness and cruelty in the world,
and like cross dog growls at others in
imaginary self-defense. Though the
sun shines, he walks continually in the
shadows. Though hearts full CT SYM
pathy are all about him, he fails to real
ize the warmth and light-because he
does not believe in them, and does not
appreciate the joy of human love and
confidence that might be his. The
heart that has no faith in prayer, will
never seek the beautiful avenues which
lead to the true home of the soul, but
like the cynic, will live in the darkness
without divine sympathy, and will fail
of the light, and warmth, and joy of the
spiritual world that lies all about it.
Truly has the poet said:
'we lack but open eye and ear
To find the heavenly marvels here"
But l am aware that these are days
of interrogation, rather than of unques-
tioning faith in all religious matters.
And while believe there is a philos-
ophy of prayer that is rational and clear,
| know that better than this, to con-
vince one of its value, is the practical
test. These, the philosophy and the
test, let us consider briefly.
Science has taught that law reigns in
every department of life, that for every